| Since 1969, Indigenous contentious mobilization has become a fixed feature of public life in Canada. Demonstrations, marches, blockades and occupations are important repertoires of action for Indigenous peoples pursuing historical redress, contemporary recognition, and redistribution of lands and resources. Moreover, institutionalized action channeled primarily through Indian Act band councils and associated peak advocacy organizations increasingly faces legitimacy challenges in Indigenous communities. Adopting theory from the comparative study of intergroup conflict, this dissertation explains the emergence of Indigenous contentious mobilization over the past forty years, and explores the dynamics of individual protest actions. I argue that Indigenous mobilization is best explained by models that emphasize norms and value rationality over interests and instrumental rationality. Historical change cannot be explained without reference to the changes to the complex of norms and institutions that govern Indigenous-Settler relations. Micro-level protest action follows a "calculus of right", wherein mobilization swells and declines with the perceived righteousness of contentious action, rather than material cost-benefit analysis. |
